Adjustable



PATENT nron.

FRANK K. WARD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ADJUSTABLE CRCQU ET-WICKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,392, dated October14, 1890.

Application filed August 11, 1890. Serial No. 361,672. (No model.) 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK K. WARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Croquet-Wickets; and I do declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference mared thereon, which form apart of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in croquet-wickets, and theobject is to produce a durable wicket that will stand the wear and tearincidental to the game; and to this end the novelty consists in theconstruction of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is afront elevation of my improved wicket; and Fig. 2 is aperspective View of the upper portion of the bow, showing the centralcoil.

A A are the stanchions, and are provided with balls a a, which, when thestanchions are made of iron wire, may be cast thereon, while if of wood,may be made integral therewith. The bow or bridge B is made of suitablespring-wire, and its ends I) b terminate in closely-wound coils, whichtightly encircle the stanchions A A, forming a joint therewith. This bowis provided with an integral central coil b which allows a considerableamount of play between the stanchions and 'takes the strain from thecoil ends I) b when one stanchion is driven in the ground in ad- Vanceof the other. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the spacebetween the convolutions of this coil can be utilized as a receptaclefor a detachable cord or indicator corresponding in color or number toeach individual player, while when the wickets are not in use the eye ofthe coil may be used to suspend the wickets, and thereby preventtheirbecoming damaged through carelessness, as would be the case ifthrown about on the ground.

In inserting the wicket in the ground, the balls a a. may be used ashandles and the wicket very easily forced into soft ground,

while in very hard ground a few blows with the mallet will accomplishthe same purpose, and as the balls are in a direct line with thestanchions there is no danger of bending the wicket either in insertingor withdrawing it. Of course the lower ends of the stanchions terminatein sharp points to facilitate their ready insertion;

In practice I prefer to galvanize the whole Wicket. This makes a jointwhere the bow joins the stanchion, and this operation, in

addition to giving a finish and strength to the wicket, solders the coilends of the bow permanently to the stanchions.

It will be observed that in Fig. 1 the righthand ball is marked with thenumber 1, while the number 14 appears reversed in dotted lines on theleft-hand ball. In playing the game this wicket represents the first orstart ing one at the stake. As the game is ordinarily played, this isthe first wicket, and consequently is numbered 1, and the player leadsoff to the right, so that each wicket is numbered in regular orderconsecutively from the directionin which the player is due. After he haspassed the second stake and is due for the eighth wicket on his return,which was the seventh wicket down, the number 8 is placed on the reverseside of said wicket, while on the front side would appear the number 7,so that when a player makes a wicket and calls his next number whenasked his position is readily located and all confusion or disputeavoided. It will not be necessary to number all the wickets, but simplyto double the number on those wickets which are used on the returnpl'aythat is to say, the two starting wickets, the middle wicket orcage, and the two wickets near the second stake.

Each wicket is readily located at play, and the numbers being coatedwith luminous paint are thereby made more conspicuous.

A very important feature of my invention is the adj ustability of thestanchions to and from each other, whereby the game can be made simpleand easy to play when the stanchions are spread apart to the utmostlimit of the spring-bow or very difficult to play if the stanchions areset so close together as to just permit the passage of the ball, so thateven professionals will find the game as interesting and difficult tothem as beginners will when the stanchions are far apart, and thus itwill be seen as the beginners gain in experience the interest in thegame can be increased by gradually lessening the distance between thestanchions until the most difficult or professional limit is reached.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A croquet-wicket composed of the stanchions having enlarged heads andthe springwire bow connecting said stanchions and provided with the coil6 as set forth.

2. Acroquet-wicket composed of two rigid stanchions connected by anarched bow pro- 15 vided with a central spring-coil, as set forth.

3. A croquet-wicket composed of two rigid stanchions and a spring-bowpermanently connected thereto, whereby said stanchions may be adjustedwith relation to their dis- 2o tance apart, as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK K. WARD.

Witnesses:

WILLIE I-I. WARD, HENRY J. ENNIS.

